Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-09-14
sONE E.RLY AMERICAN PIRATES.
Exploits of Captain AverY and the Dash
ing "Blackbeard"

see Out d1mly, hail hidden by the CLAM
curing mists of legend and tradition.
Others who came afterward outstriDped
aim far enough in their doings, but he
stands pre-eminent as the first of ma
rooners Of whom aCtusl history has been
handed down 10 us of the present day.
When the English, Dutch and Spanish
entered into an alliance to suppress buC-
caneeripg in the West Indies, certain
worthless OF Bristol, in Old England, fitted
out two vessels 20 assist in this laudable
project, for doubtless Bristol trade euf-
fered smartly from the Morg6ns and the
LOlonoises Of that old time,
says Howard Pyle in the September Har-
per. One OF these vessels was named
Duke, OF which certain Captain Gibson
WAS the commander, and Avary the mate.
Away they sailed to the West Indies,
and there Avary became impressed by the
advantages offered by piracy, and by the
amount of good things that were to be
gained by very little striving.
One night the Captain Cwho was one Of
those fellows nightly addicted to punch
instead Of going ashore to saturate him
self with rum at the ordinary. had to
drink in his cabin in private. While he
In the cabin, Avsry snd g few other con-
spirators heaved the anchor very leisure
~ and sailed out OF the harbor of COrun-
ia and through the midst OF the allied
feet riding CT anchor in the darkness.
By-anG by, when the morning came, the
Captain was awakened by the pitching
and tossing Of the vessel, the rattle and
clatter of the tackle overhead and the
noise of footsteps passing and repssslng
hither end thither across the deck.
"What's the natter" bawls the Cap
, tain from his berth.
Nothing" ssys Avary, coolly.
Something's the matter with the ship"
says the Captain. "Does she drive?
What weather IS it?"
"Oh, no." says Avary; "we are st
/ sea-"
"At sea?n
"Come, COME" says Avary; 'T'n tell
| you; you must know that I'm the captain
OF the ship now, and you must be pack
ing from this here cabin. We are bound
to Madagascar, to make al Of our for
tunes, and If you're mind to ship FOR the
cruise, why, well be glad to have you,
if you will be sober and mind your own
| business, if not, there is boat along
side, and I'll have you set ashore"
The poor half-tipsy captain had no rel
| ish TO 60 a-piratirg under the command
Of his baCkslidiDg mate, SO out OF the
ship he bundled, and aw&Y he rowed with
four or five Of the crew, who, like him,
refused to join with their jolly ship
mates.
The rest OF them sailed away to the
East Indies. On his way Avary picked
up couple Of like kind with himself
two sloops off Madagascar. With these
he sailed away TO the coast of India, and
! for time his name Was lost in the OBJ
security Of uncertain history. But only
for 8 time, for suddenly it famed out In
blaze of glory.
| 1t was reported that g vessel belonging
| to the great mCgul, laden with treasure
and bearing the monarch's own daughter
upon e holy pilgrimage to Mecca (they
| belong to the Mohammedans) had faller
in with the pirates and, after Z short re
sistance. had been surrendered, with thc
damsel, her court and ell the diamonds
pearls, silks, silver and gold aboard. /!
was rumored that the great moeuI
raging at The insult offered to hin
through his own flesh and blood, L8G
! threatened to wipe out Of existence thl
few Eagiish settlements scattered aionc
the coast, whereat the honorable Eas
India Company was in { pretty state O
fuss and feathers. RumCr, growing Will
the telling, has it that Avary is going t
marry the Indisn princess, WiIly-Gilly
and viii turn rai an and esCheW piracy a.
indecent. AS FOR the treasure itself, there
WAS no end to the extent to which it grew
as 1t passed from mouth to mouth.
Cracking the nut of romance and ex-
aggeration, we come to the kernel of the
stOry-that Avary did fall in with en- In
dian vessel laden with great treasure anC
possibly with the moguPs daughter
which be captured, and thereby gained s
vast prize.
Having concluded that he had earned
enough money by the trade he had under
taken, he determined to retire and livt
decently for the rest of his life upon wha
he already had. As a step toward thi
object, he set about cheating his MAZDA
gascRr partners out of their snare of wha
had been gained. He persuaded them t.
store all the treasure in his vessel, it be
ing the largest Of the three; and SO hav-
ing it safely in hand, he altered thu
course of his ship one fire night
and when the morning came the Madagas
car sloops found themselves floating up
on a wide ocean without farthing 0
the treasure for which they had fought s.
hard, and for which they might whistle
, for all the good it would do them.
At first Avary had e great part Of
mind to tile st Boston, in Massachu
sets, and had that little town been on
whit less bleak and forbiddin2, it nigh
have had the honor of being the home o
this famous man. AS it was, he did no
| like the looks Of it, so he sailed away t.
; t e eastward, to Ireland, where he set
= tied himself at Biddeford, in hopes OF a.
easy life of it for the rest OF MS days.
Here he found himself tie possesso
: OF plentiful stock Of Jewels, such a
: pearls, diamonds, rubles, etc, but wit
2 hardly q score Of honest farthings
: jingle in lis pocket. BE consulted wit
n q certain merchant Of Bristol concerniD
; the disposal of the stones fellow nc
u much mole cleenly in his habits OF hoI
s esty than Avary himself. This worth
( undertook to act as Avsry's broker. o
S be marched with the jewels, and that VS.
e the last that the pirate saw OF his India
treasure.
s In Blackboard" we have real, rsnt
. ing, raging, roaring pirate per se-on
e who really did bury treasure, who mad
| 90, - - n,N1a al